Let’s talk about another resident……

Stu has been with us for almost a year. As with some of our other residents, his mother was unable to keep him due to her own health issues. He had lived with his previous Mom since he was a chick, (he was five when we met), both originally from NY. I am also from NY so I immediately felt like we were all kindred spirits. What was the most hysterical part of Stu’s acclimation was to hear him talk- with a NY accent! “Wheh yu goin’?” “Wheh ah you?” Or his rendition of “You Are My Sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy…..” well, you get the picture.

A couple of months ago, I heard Stu saying, “Four…Eight..Zero” repeatedly. This is actually one of the telephone area codes in our region. I am not sure if he heard me on the phone giving my phone number to people, but it is funny and cute, and can be practical too. I had read an article in a UK newspaper online about a bird that had been found in Japan a few years ago. The police were stumped as how to locate its owner. However, the owner had thought of this in advance and taught the bird its name and home address! It was a great story and makes me think we should all train our birds to do this….

Anyway, once Stu started practicing ” 4 8 0″ I jumped on it. We have been working on the next three digits of the phone number. He hasn’t gotten all of it yet, but he has most of it. Sometimes he mixes them up too, which is funny. Stu and Mario are probably the most animated and best talkers out of all the birds in the flock. And now that Stu has been working on his phone number, Mario has also picked up on it too. When I am lying in bed in the morning I love listening to them practicing…. “4 8 0” over and over again, with the next three digits thrown in there too! It’s hysterical.

Stu also enjoys telling me, “I LOVE you!” To which I would ask, “How much?”, “Soooooooooo big, so much!” As you can imagine, he has now included this in his repertoire. The funny part is when he swings his head to the side as he says, “Soooooooooooooooo Big!”

When I have to go out to work, I tell everyone I will be right back. Stu knows what is going on as I am running around getting ready. He then tells me, “I’ll be right back.” But the most touching and rewarding has got to be when everyone is covered up at night, tucked in and ready for bed. As I head up the stairs I hear Stu saying, “Night, night; love you” in the sweetest and softest voice ever….